Depending on how long your car tire has been in use, it is only a matter of time before beginning to notice evidence of tire wear, particularly around the road surface of the tire. While tire wear is inevitable as this is a resultant effect of the use of the tire and the constant frictional force created between the tire and the road, the pattern of tire wear, tells a lot about an underlying problem.
Following the purchase of a car tire, it is not expected to experience tire wear until a certain mileage period of usage. The pattern of tire wear is equally expected to be uniform. A deviation from any of these, that is, premature occurrence, before the expected time or mileage, and unusual patterns such as chunking, raises several questions.
Here in this article, the focus will be on Goodyear tire chunking, what tire chunking is all about, what the causes of this abnormal tire wear pattern are, how it can be prevented, and whether it is fixable or not, if fixable, how to go about this, finally, what chunking tells about the quality of the tire.
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What causes tire chunking?
Rather than moving straight to stating the various causes of tire chunking, let’s take a step back to explain precisely what tire chunking is. In my experience, assuming car owners are familiar with tire and automobile terminologies is usually erroneous.
Most people are clueless about what may seem like a common tire or car probably because they may have never experienced it or they are simply novice car owners.
So, have you ever heard of tire chunking? How did you hear about this and from whom? Irrespective of the build, tires and brake pads must wear, this is inevitable. However, when you observe the road surface of your tire, how is the wear pattern? When all you see is a uniformly worn tire, then there is no cause for alarm, however, if there are parts of the tire that looks like a big chunk of the tire rubber fabric has been taken out, then you may be dealing with tire chunking.
What is tire chunking? Tire chunking is when a tire wears down to the point where it starts to break apart into small pieces. This can happen gradually or suddenly, and it can be extremely dangerous. This is mostly common to tires frequently driven off-road or on unpaved or gravel roads.
Tire chunking can cause a blowout, which can lead to a serious accident. It’s important to regularly inspect your tires and replace them if they are showing signs of wear.
With tire chunking, the tire does not wear evenly, rather, chunks of the tire rubber fabric are taken out in a random order in the area of wear, seen as indentation.
Chunking in a tire is not one of the categories of tire damage that can be glossed over without taking action. There are catastrophic consequences that such negligence some of which the driver may not come out unharmed.
Cars have been recorded to skid off the road, tumble over, collide with other vehicles on the road and get involved in road accidents on account of tire issues such as tire chunking. This is therefore not a simple tire problem, but rather a serious one.
The cause of tire chunking includes but is not limited to:
a) Misalignment
generally speaking, central to the cause of tire chunking are problems associated with the car’s suspension. Misalignment is one of the commonest suspension issues. When tires go out of alignment, either due to being driven over a pothole or speed bump without first slowing down, driving with an under-inflation tire or for other reasons, a misaligned tire is one of the powerful causes of tire chunking.
To keep misalignment at bay, ensure to keep the tires optimally inflated, slow down when driving on a road filled with potholes and bumps, and avoid testing your skills of driving or replicating the fast and furious movie on such road.
b) Worn shock absorbers
when the tire runs over a speed bump or pothole, especially when this is done without adequate application of the brakes, what helps cushion the effects of such shock is the shock absorber. However, when this setup is defective, you will be at risk of the tire including tire chunking.
c) Bent wheel
the car wheel is shaped in a way that allows for a balanced rotation. A dent or bend on any of its edges will cause an uneven or unbalanced rotation of the wheel which may cause an abnormal wear pattern in the tires such as tire chunking.
Is tire chunking a sign of poor tire quality?
In the past, more than one type of Goodyear tire has been recalled from the market. Reasons for a recall include issues such as a poor design, tire chunking, poor quality, unannounced loss of tire air pressure, sidewall cracks, and others.
In the case of Goodyear tires, the Dunlop SP50 P205?70R15 was recalled on account of showing signs of tire chunking. While others have been recalled for other reasons such as tread separation.
Therefore, a poor-quality tire can lead to tire chunking and can lead to the recall of such tires from the market. When companies withdraw a particular tire from the market, users must respect their honesty and stay clear of such a product. Tires are perhaps the most common cause of accidents caused by defective car parts.
How good is Goodyear tire?
Goodyear tires are ranked quite high. They fall within the first 10 tire brands on the list of top tire companies in the world. It is rare to find issues such as tire chunking with Goodyear as the company keeps up with post-manufacturing testing and monitoring and does not hesitate to recall defective products.
Signs to look out for in a tire suspected of tire chunking include noise, vibration, bouncing off the road, and the car may skid off the road. Above all, the signs of tire chunking can be seen clearly on the tire in the form of indentations or missing chunks of rubber fabric.
Is tire chunking fixable?
Not all tire damages are fixable, the more appropriate question to ask in this condition should be whether you can have the company replace the tire or not. Ideally, all tires should have a tread warranty, and the eligibility claim should be based on mileage rather than the duration or period for which the tire has been in use. Goodyear thankfully provides users of their product a warranty coverage that covers abnormal wears such as tire chunking.
There are instances where the company does not foot the total bill of replacement, rather, the percentage of the used and unused tread is estimated and a discount is given. This has been reported by some users who claim to have been redirected to discount tires following putting a complaint forward to the good year.
It is seen most commonly in the fort tires of most cars. Several explanations have been given in support of this finding, of this explanation, that which stood out the most is the fact that front tires are constantly being turned about, that is, are engaged in a forth and back movement as you steer the car, exposing them to more stress than the rear tires.
Rather than blaming the type of road, dealers and tire companies should rather honor the tread warranty policy and grant the tire user a free replacement of the tire. The experience with some dealers is that they question the type of road the tire was frequently driven over and wish to ascribe the chunking to poor road condition.
Undoubtedly, a tire driven on a gravel road suffers more insult than that driven on a conventionally tarred road. The gravel increases the risk of chunking and could tear through the rubber fabric of the tire. However, the core culprit of tire chunking is the quality of construction material and the tire design.
Have you ever felt the texture of a tire and said to yourself it feels softer than usual? You are right to think this to be abnormal. How soft or hard your car tire is, is central to the risk of such tire chunking. A soft tire texture is unsuited for the hot highway drive similar to the poor performance experience when a hard tire is driven on a road covered with snow.
Goodyear tires are the OEM tires in most Audi car models. Demanding a replacement from the car company can sometimes prove futile or distressing. However, the tire company can be reached directly. Hopefully, you may qualify and have the right to the tread warranty policy for the tire.
Is tire chunking dangerous
Yes, tire chucking is dangerous. When a tire chunks, it means that the tire has come apart and the pieces are now flying through the air. If one of these pieces hits your car, it can cause serious damage. It could break your windshield, for example, or even cause you to lose control of your car.
So, if you see tire chunking on the highway, the best thing to do is to get out of the way as quickly and safely as possible. Don’t try to drive over it, and don’t try to swerve around it. Just get out of the way and let the pieces fly by.
Of course, tire chunking can also happen when you’re driving on city streets or even in your own driveway. If you hit a pothole or something else that damages your tire, it could start to come apart.
So, it’s always important to inspect your tires regularly to make sure they’re in good condition.
If you do find yourself in the situation where your tire is chunking, the best thing to do is to pull over and call for help. Don’t try to drive on a flat tire or on a tire that’s coming apart.
How can you prevent tire chunking from happening?
Some things are out of your control when it comes to tire chunking while others are fully within your control. Without identifying the possible causes of this un-dimmable damage to car tires, prevention may prove unattainable.
Tires are similar to brake parts on the grounds of requiring to be replaced after a while. Tires are expendable and must be replaced after a certain duration of users irrespective of the maintenance practice of the user. Your car weight, driving style, the design of the tire, and the type of compound the rubber fabric is made of, all play an important role in deciding what happens to the tire and the type of wear pattern seen in it.
Maintain your car alignment, keep up with regular maintenance practice, ensure the tires are optimally inflated, and drive carefully, especially when going through a pothole or over a speed bump amongst other things.
Goodyear Tire Chunking – Conclusion
Goodyear is undoubtedly a remarkable tire brand. Tire chunking is a factor of poor maintenance practices such as routine alignment, repair of worn-out shock absorbers, and reckless driving.
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I am passionate about all things automotive and have a deep understanding of the topic. As a mechanic, I use my free time to share knowledge of everyday challenges that any car owner can experience – helping you make informed decisions about tires.